


Danganronpa 4: The return of despair

by raging_stor



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Multi, danganronpa 4, killing game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:26:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28821462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raging_stor/pseuds/raging_stor
Summary: 20 years after Makoto Naegi reopened Hope's Peak Academy, another killing game is about to start. With a new set of 16 ultimate students, let the killing game commence!
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	1. Author's notes

This work is meant to be like a theoretical Danganronpa game, and will be formatted similarly. It takes place after the events of the anime Danganronpa 3, and thus there will be spoilers for the first two games and the anime. I've drawn a quick sketch version of each of the characters, but as I go along I will add more detailed art as well. AO3 is being weird about not letting me post pictures, but I'll add a link to the character sketches as well as any future art.

[Sketches of the cast](https://imgur.com/gallery/yfqr3pT)


	2. Chapter 1 Story Section 1

[Art of Minori](https://imgur.com/gallery/uxPvXtP)

[Art of Ayaka](https://imgur.com/gallery/vQ6eJl8)

[Art of Yubi](https://imgur.com/gallery/WPVBOfv)

[Map of the facility](https://imgur.com/gallery/Bu9a5p7)

My name is Ayaka Fujiwara, and I guess I’m an ultimate student; I’m the ultimate baker. I’ve been baking since I was little, and my family always said I was a natural, but I don’t think even they expected that I would be scouted by Hope’s Peak academy. My mom was a bit wary to have me go; it’s been twenty years since Makoto Naegi reestablished the school, and there have been no more incidents since then, but she remembers the time of despair so vividly. She almost didn’t let me come at all. In the end she let me attend after I promised to come home if anything happened, but I feel bad for making her worry. Most adults tend to be like that. I was born after the world returned mostly to normal, but I don’t know if I’ve ever gone a day without hearing about the tragedy from a family member, a teacher, or some end-of-times wacko on the street. Anyways, now I’m standing outside the door of class 2B. Why am I so nervous? The other students are high schoolers, just like me. I take a deep breath and put a shaky hand on the doorknob.

“Are you going to go inside, or just stand there trembling?” I jump at the sound of a voice behind me and quickly turn around. The girl who spoke has pink hair and is wearing a purple sweater. I recognize her immediately. That’s Megumi Hidaka, the ultimate vet. I have to admit, I expected her to be a bit more… personable.

“Ah- s-sorry!” I quickly open the door and hold it open for her, then hurry into the room behind her. There are three other students in the room already, although the only other one I recognize is Minori Kishi, the ultimate model. The whole world is obsessed with him, and seeing him in person it’s even easier to tell why. He radiates feminine beauty and sex appeal, qualities that have made him one of the most widely recognized faces in Japan. I can’t help the way my face heats up when he looks at me and gives a small smirk, and I quickly look away and find my seat.

Students continue to file in and find their seats, and I find myself wondering who’s who. Of course I looked up before coming the names and talents of all of the students, but there’s only a few that I can match to faces. I can’t wait to meet everyone, but I’m feeling a bit too awkward to try to start conversation just yet. Finally a short man, maybe in his thirties, walks in and approaches the front of the classroom with a warm smile on his face.

“Hello everyone! My name is Ren Matsuda, and I’m your teacher this year! It’s nice to meet you all! Now, let me tell you all a little bit about myself. Even when I was a kid, I loved teaching the younger kids and helping my classmates. I was scouted by Hope’s Peak as the ultimate teacher, and graduated a year before the tragedy. Since Hope’s Peak reopened, I have been teaching here and I love it! I’m so excited to meet all of you and help guide you all in perfecting your ultimate talents! Of course, my job is as your teacher, but I would love it if you saw me as a friend too. If you ever have anything you need to talk about or want advice, my door is always open.”

I let out a breath that I didn’t realize I’ve been holding. I was expecting the teacher to be far more intimidating, but this man was quick to put me at ease. I can tell that some other people in the room are equally relieved. Maybe there’s nothing to be worried about.

Right as Matsuda Sensei opens his mouth to speak again, the door to the classroom is thrown open. A girl is standing in the doorway out of breath. Her black hair is in two messy buns and she looks exhausted, but her eyes are filled with panic.

“We have to get out of here!” She cries, her voice broken. As she speaks, a loud hissing sound fills the room. It takes me a few seconds to process. At no point did I take my mom’s warnings seriously, so now I can’t quite wrap my head around the chaos unfolding around me as students jump to their feet and run for the door, shouting. I jump from my seat to follow suit, but I don’t get very far before I feel the world start to spin around me. I catch sight of a few other students dropping to the ground before my eyes droop closed and I fall forwards into nothingness.

*************************************************************************************

When I come to, I’m in a bed that isn’t my own. I open my eyes and squint in the bright fluorescent lighting of the room, and it takes my eyes a few minutes to adjust. I’m in what seems like a generically decorated hotel room, albeit a bit small, with a television and a door to what looks from here to be a bathroom. I sit up and look around. I have a feeling I should be panicking, but for some reason I’m just confused as I try to remember how I got here. I thought today was supposed to be my first day of Hope’s Peak?

Right… it was. I thought that was a dream, but I did go to Hope’s Peak. Matsuda Sensei was talking, and that girl… that girl came in panicked and I blacked out. A small voice in the back of my head is reminding me of the stories I’ve heard of the killing games, but I try to silence it. I refuse to believe it. I refuse… until I hear a voice. An all too familiar voice that I’ve heard in countless recordings. Monokuma. I turn my head slowly to see the malicious face of the bear on the television screen.

“Hello, hello! Greetings Hope’s Peak academy class 2B! This is your headmaster speaking! Ah, it sure is nice to address another class of bright, smiling, hopeful faces! It’s been so long!” My heart is pounding out of my chest as every one of my mother’s warnings flash through my mind. “Now, everyone please make your way to the conference room down the hall for a welcome ceremony! I’ll be waiting!” The screen goes black and my vision starts to go white as I try to process what’s happening. After a few minutes I start to feel nauseous, and I run to the bathroom before throwing up in the toilet.

There’s no way, this has to be a joke. But if it’s real… I can’t disobey Monokuma. I shakily get to my feet and stumble to the door of my room and open it. The hallway outside is lit with the same fluorescent lights as the room, and down the hallway are evenly spaced doors, each with a name on them. As I slowly walk past, I recognize the names as those of my classmates. The room I was in probably has my name… I forgot to check. Finally I see a door labelled “conference room” and I slowly push open the door.

The rest of the class is already there, as well as Matsuda Sensei, and they all look up at me. They share the same haunted expressions that I’m sure I have as I slowly make my way to a seat. As soon as I sit, Monokuma emerges from seemingly nowhere and hops onto the front of the table.

“Welcome class! Now then, since everyone is here, I want to welcome you all to your new lives, and of course, to the killing game! There are a few rules to this game, and I’m sure you already know the basics, but I’ll go over them again anyways!” The projector turns on, lighting up the screen behind Monokuma with a slide that says “Student Orientation.” He clicks to the next slide, showing the rules.

  1. Students must stay within the facility.



  1. Nighttime is from 10pm to 7am. During nighttime, certain areas will be locked, and any attempt to enter these areas will be punished accordingly.



  1. Exploring the facility is allowed and encouraged; however, destruction of property is not allowed, so forcefully breaking into a locked area will be punished.



  1. Violence against headmaster Monokuma is prohibited.



  1. A student who kills another will become “blackened,” and will be allowed to graduate as long as they are not caught.



  1. After a murder is discovered, after a certain amount of time a class trial will begin. Participation is mandatory.



  1. If the blackened is chosen by popular vote during the trial, they alone will be punished. If the spotless students fail to vote for the blackened, they will be punished and the blackened will graduate.



I can barely even listen as Monokuma explains the rules; it’s not important anyways. I know the rules. I try to take deep breaths, calming myself. If I panic, it’s all over. All I can do is try to approach this rationally. It takes some time for me to calm down, but by the time I do, Monokuma has finished explaining the rules.

“After each class trial, you’ll gain access to new privileges in new areas of the school. Good luck, and let the killing game commence!” Monokuma vanishes as quickly as he arrived, and the class is left sitting in stunned silence. I look around to see tears forming in the eyes of several students, and everyone looking shocked. Finally, after a long silence, I speak.

“Matsuda Sensei. What do we do?” I ask, trying and failing to keep my voice from shaking. Matsuda Sensei slowly looks up from where he was staring intently at his hands, and I can see that his eyes are wet with tears. He blinks a few times, clearing the tears from his eyes, and takes a deep breath.

“This isn’t… I wasn’t prepared for this. But as your teacher, if you’ll let me… I’d like to do everything I can to guide you all through this and to protect you.” I can already see a few other students starting to calm down a bit. Matsuda Sensei’s voice is comforting, and I already believe he’s going to protect us. A few students nod in agreement, and a girl with short blonde hair and glasses speaks.

“Matsuda Sensei, we will follow your lead.” He nods and stands up, moving to the front of the table.

“Thank you. I… I will do everything I can to protect all of you. I promise.” With everyone’s attention on him, he continues. “After the events surrounding the tragedy and the previous killing games, Hope’s Peak Academy has some of the highest security in the world, and the safety of its students is top priority for the entire country. I know Headmaster Naegi personally, and I am fully confident that he is on his way now. In the meantime, we all need to stay calm and support one another. We should all start by introducing ourselves and starting to get to know each other, so we can trust each other.” He smiles at the class, and though it felt forced, it still makes me feel better. I stand up first.

“My name is Ayaka Fujiwara, and I’m the ultimate baker. It’s nice to meet you all.” I sit down, and the next to stand is the blonde girl who spoke before.

“I’m Takara Ito, the ultimate chemist. I hope we can all get along. I agree with Matsuda Sensei. Help is on the way.” Her voice is deep and she speaks with so much authority and certainty that I can’t help but smile a bit. Next, a girl with a blonde ponytail speaks without standing.

“Why are we listening to him? We aren’t at school. There’s no reason for us to be listening to the teacher.” Takara’s eyes narrow slightly as she responds.

“His job is to manage and guide a class. Would you rather the class have no guidance and be left to handle the killing game of their own accord?” Takara asks, making eye contact with the ponytail girl. The girl rolls her eyes.

“I suppose not. I’m Naoki Miya. I’m the ultimate mountain biker.” She still doesn’t stand, and I frown. Is now really the time for being rude?

“My name is Shuji Matsubara! I’m the ultimate survivalist! It’s a pleasure to meet you all!” In the hush of the room, the voice that booms from right next to me is startling to say the least. I look up to see a man with a bun standing confidently as he bows before the class. I catch a few eye rolls from some of the students as he sits back down. There’s a brief pause before Megumi stands.

“I guess I can go. I’m Megumi Hidaka, the ultimate vet. I agree to following Matsuda Sensei.” She sits, and a dark skinned girl with long red hair stands.

“My name is Yuuka Fujimori. I’m the ultimate lucky student, which basically means they chose me randomly to come here. I also think we should listen to Matsuda Sensei.” As she sits, I notice that Matsuda Sensei looks a little embarrassed, and I smile slightly. Next to stand is a girl with blonde pigtails and a pink bow, who looks like a little kid. Her voice is quiet and timid, and her face is red and wet. She’s been crying the most visibly of everyone.

“I’m Nozomi Masuda. I’m the ultimate singer. I um… I’m only eleven, so I’ll do whatever the rest of you think.” Her voice quivers as she speaks, and as she sits back down, she looks a little sick. Takara puts a hand on her shoulder and gives her a small smile.

“Hello, I’m Taiki Imai! I’m the ultimate detective! Of course, in a killing game, I’ll be pretty useful!” A man with flaming red hair sticking straight up is standing now. He smiles and looks around like he’s expecting a laugh, but instead he’s met with an awkward silence. He sits back down, looking very embarrassed, and I have to admit I feel bad for him. There’s another pause, this time longer, before Minori stands up and every eye in the room is immediately on him.

“My name is Minori Kishi. I’m the ultimate model.” He smiles at me and I gulp. He has so much… presence, I feel small just being near him. He has beautiful long silver hair and striking blue eyes, and it’s clear that nobody in the room can take their eyes off of him until the next student stands, a man with purple hair, a red coat, and a top hat.

“Well I suppose I should introduce myself! My name is Hideaki Kita, at your service!” he gives a dramatic bow, leaving everyone in another awkward silence. He, however, seems completely unbothered by it as he stands straight again and smiles. “I’m the ultimate ringmaster, and a magnificent man of many talents! It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance!” The man speaks like a true circus performer, but in the tense room it feels strikingly out of place. I’m grateful when the next person, a girl with two brown braids and freckles, stands and speaks.

“Hi! I’m Rieko, I’m the ultimate equestrian!” She smiles at the group, but it feels forced and I can tell she’s as much in shock as the rest of us. A man with sideburns wearing a gray suit and a gray tie stands up and smiles.

“My name is Haruto Suzuki, the ultimate economist.” He speaks curtly and sounds just as much like a businessman as he looks. He sits down as soon as he finishes speaking. The next to stand is a pale man with black hair, black clothes, and bags under his eyes. He speaks quietly, his eyes downcast.

“Kento. Ultimate Coroner.” He says simply, and a chill runs through me. Coroner? Like autopsies? I notice other people have similar reactions, and I gulp. I desperately wish for someone else to speak so we can move on from the man, but it’s a long time before anyone does. Finally, the girl with the black hair in two messy buns stands. She looks nervous.

“Hi, I-I’m Yubi Nakahara. I don’t… remember my ultimate talent. I’m sorry.” She sounds embarrassed, but as soon as she speaks, Naoki is on her feet.

“You! You’re the one who ran into the classroom panicked before we all blacked out! What do you know?!” Yubi looks startled and she looks away anxiously.

“I don’t remember that… I’m sorry.”

“Fat fucking chance!” Naoki snaps. “You know more than the rest of us and you’re keeping it to yourself!”

“Naoki that’s enough.” Takara glares at Naoki and I feel chills run down my spine at the authority she radiates. Naoki sits back down in a huff.

“Let’s all calm down, alright?” Matsuda Sensei suggests. “Naoki, I don’t think Yubi knows anything. We all need to work together and stay calm. Now then, one more!” He smiles at the only remaining student, a boy with his entire body covered with black cloth except for one eye. The boy stares blankly back at him, not saying a word. “You’re Renjiro, right? Renjiro Yoshimoto?” Matsuda Sensei offers. Renjiro nods, and continues to stare. “The ultimate painter?” Renjiro nods again, and I feel a chill run down my spine. Everyone else appears equally uncomfortable, but Matsuda Sensei just smiles at him. “You can talk whenever you’re ready, okay? I’ll get you out of here.” He turns to the rest of the class and smiles again. “For now, let’s split off into groups and explore the areas we have access to.”

“I have no interest in grouping.” Haruto, the ultimate economist, has already risen to his feet and is making his way out the door. He doesn’t seem interested in waiting to hear anyone else’s opinions on the matter, and nobody stops him as he leaves.

Once he’s gone, everyone starts looking around, awkwardly trying to make eye contact with people. I get out of my chair and nervously head towards Nozomi and Takara, who seem to be going together. I smile awkwardly at Takara and she smiles back, which I decide to take as a welcome to the team.

“Mind if I join you ladies?” I turn and my heart skips a beat when I see Minori standing in front of us, his head tilted slightly to the side.

“S-sure,” I offer, and he smiles at us.

“May I say you look lovely today?” He directs the question at Takara, and as he does, reaches out to take a strand of her hair in his hand. Immediately his hand is smacked away.

“Don’t touch me,” Takara says curtly, and Minori chuckles and holds his hands up defensively.

“Of course, I apologize.” He gives her a slight smirk. “Well, if you change your mind, you’re welcome to come to my room any time.” He winks, and I recoil slightly. Nozomi sticks her tongue out.

“Yuck.” I have to admit, from his appearance, I really expected him to have at least a bit more class. Still, I can’t help the way my heart hammers when he turns to me. “The same offer extends to you~” he purrs. Before I can respond, Takara cuts in.

“Stop being gross and leave her alone. And if you so much as look at Nozomi I have no problems breaking that pretty face you pride yourself on.” I think I catch a flicker of fear cross Minori’s face before he laughs and turns away.

“Point taken. Shall we then ladies?” He leads the way out of the room and I follow him, staying next to Takara.

“Thank you,” I whisper to the chemist, and she gives me a small smile. Nozomi walks next to us, staying close to Takara.

I walk with them back down the hall where we came from, looking at the nameplates. I can’t help but smile slightly when I realize my room is right next door to Takara’s. She seems to notice it too, and smiles at me.

“Looks like we’re neighbors,” she tells me, and I smile.

“And Nozomi’s right across the hall!” I add, which seems to make the small girl happy. There doesn’t seem to be anything but rooms this way, so we turn back. Across the hall from the conference room is a door that Takara opens, and I follow her inside. Rieko, Megumi, and Naoki are inside, sitting at desks in a corner and talking in hushed voices. When the four of us enter, they all look up at us, and Rieko gives us a small smile. The other two seem less happy to see us as they go back to their conversation, and already I can’t help but feel like an intruder. Minori either doesn’t sense the atmosphere of the room or doesn’t care. As soon as he enters he spots the group and approaches them, flashing them his famous smile.

“Hello lovely ladies. You all look so gloomy, may I cheer you up?” Naoki scoffs and turns away from him.

“I think we’re good.” Rieko smacks her arm, her face red.

“Naoki! Don’t you know who that is?!” She mumbled, then turned to Minori and smiled. “Of course!” I hear Takara sigh audibly next to me.

“Come on, let’s keep exploring. They can handle him.” I laugh softly as I walk out with Takara and Nozomi. At the end of the hall by the conference room, a large elegant looking door seems very out of place. Takara tries the door but it doesn’t budge.

“I guess that’s locked,” I contribute helpfully, and Takara nods.

“Let’s keep going.” We continue down the hall and open a door on the left, finding ourselves in what appears to be a dining hall. Yuuka, Taiki, Shuji, and Yubi seem to have formed a group in here and are sitting at the table talking, although Yubi doesn’t really seem to be interacting with them. Shuji grins at us as we enter and waves.

“Yo!” He calls. I smile and wave back. “I saw Minori go with you three, did you ditch him?” Takara laughs.

“He got distracted flirting with everyone and we took the opportunity to escape.” Yuuka rolls her eyes, but she laughs.

“What an idiot. When we were on the way to the conference room he said to me, and I quote, ‘after the meeting come back to my room and we can make the best of this situation.” Nozomi sticks her tongue out again and gags.

“Yuck!” She says once again, and I laugh as Takara groans and covers Nozomi’s ears. Taiki raises an eyebrow.

“Don’t worry Shuji, he plays for both teams. I’m sure he’ll hook up with you if you ask nicely.” Shuji kicks Taiki under the table.

“Yeah fuck off,” he says, laughing as Taiki kicks him back. I can’t help smiling. These three seem a bit too relaxed for the situation, but their easy banter puts me at ease too. Yubi smiles slightly for just a second before looking away. I know she’s as confused as the rest of us, but I can’t help being curious about her. She clearly knew more than the rest of us before… but it seemed like she was trying to save us, so I think I trust her.

I’m tempted to stick around in the dining hall with everyone and try to distract myself from our current situation. I feel a pang of sadness. I really like these people, and if everything was normal, we would all be in school right now. I could talk to them, and make friends, and not have to be afraid. I could leave this tense atmosphere behind and just be with my classmates. Takara snaps me out of my daydream.

“Ayaka, let’s keep going?” I nod and follow her through another door, opening up into the kitchen. There, Hideaki is alone, tossing an apple and leaning against the wall by the door. He smiles at us as we enter.

“Ah, if it isn’t Ayaka, Takara, and Nozomi!” The way he announces our entrance makes me feel a bit like I’m walking onto a stage, which makes me uncomfortable.

“Hi- Hideaki, right?” I ask, and he bows dramatically once again, taking his hat off.

“The one and only!” He throws the apple into the air but I don’t see it come back down and I blink.

“Um- wh-what did you just do?” He grins.

“A magician never reveals his tricks!”

“Magician? Aren’t you a ringmaster?” Takara asks him.

“I’m a one man circus act! Magician, acrobat, you name it! Ayaka my dear, would you do me a favor and check your bag?”

“My-“ I glance down at the small purse I’m carrying and open it, then stare up at Hideaki, dumbfounded, as I pull an apple from it. What the hell?! Takara looks as confused as I am, but Nozomi just smiles and claps.

“That was amazing!” Hideaki grins and tips his hat to her.

“Thank you young lady! Now I must be on my way but I hope I can entertain you again!” His coat flutters behind him as he whips around and leaves the room with a long stride that matches the rest of his eccentricity. As soon as he’s gone, I turn to Takara and set down the apple.

“Um… I’m not going crazy and that was really weird, right?” I ask, and Takara just nods.

“I suppose it makes sense. I’ve always been told ultimate students can be pretty bizarre.” She sighs and shakes her head. “Alright, I think there were a couple more doors in the hallway. We should keep exploring then regroup with Matsuda Sensei.” I nod, and glance down at Nozomi, who still looks amazed. As weird as that was, I’m glad that Hideaki’s little performance was able to put a smile on the small girl’s face. I walk out with Takara and Nozomi, back through the dining hall, and wave at the group there as we walk by.

Back in the hallway we try another door at the end of the hallway, but find it locked as well. There’s one other door, and this one opens up to what seems to be a small shop, with candies, small prizes, and Hope’s Peak merch complete with Monokuma’s face. I wrinkle my nose at the merch and look at the price labels on the other things.

“Monocoins,” I say out loud. “What is a monocoin?” Without warning Monokuma rises from behind the counter and I jump back in surprise, falling into Takara. “Ah! Sorry!” I quickly regain my footing and stare at Monokuma as he begins to speak.

“Monocoins are the currency you’ll use here at the facility! They can be used in the shop as well as in other places! You’ll earn them at trials, but you can also find them hidden around the facility!” And as quickly as he arrived, Monokuma is gone. I glance at Takara awkwardly, and she smiles back.

“I, uh… guess we’ve explored everywhere?” I offer. Before Takara can respond, I hear Matsuda Sensei’s voice over the intercom.

“Everyone, let’s regroup at the conference room in five minutes!” He announces. The three of us quickly make our way back to the conference room, and everyone else follows in before too long. Matsuda sensei smiles at us all and pushes a button on the wall, then his voice comes over the intercom again. “Look everyone, I found the intercom button!” A few people laugh, and everyone looks much more calm than earlier. I am too I suppose. Matsuda Sensei’s reassurance that Headmaster Naegi and the entire country are definitely on their way to save us gives me hope. He lets go of the intercom button and smiles at us all. “Sorry, I can’t resist. Did anyone find anything useful?” He asks. Shuji speaks up.

“There’s two locked doors in the hallways. I was gonna try to bust through them, but Taiki reminded me of the rules, so they’re probably meant to unlock later!” Taiki rolls his eyes at Shuji.

“You’re the ultimate survivalist yet already I’ve had to keep you from getting yourself killed.” Shuji grins and rubs the back of his neck, laughing.

“My bad!”

“Those doors won’t be unlocking, because there won’t be any trials. I won’t let the killing game start.” Everyone looks back up at Matsuda Sensei, who suddenly sounds far more serious than he had before. After a beat of silence, he smiles again. “Who else?” Surprisingly, it’s Kento who speaks next, and I feel nervous as the coroner speaks.

“There was a key left on my bed. It unlocks my room and my bathroom. I’m guessing we all have one.” I hadn’t even thought to check in my room, since I’d already been in there earlier, but I suppose it makes sense that we would need to be able to lock our doors.

“Monokuma showed up in the shop and told us that we get monocoins at the trials, and can also find them around the school,” Takara offers. Everyone nods, taking in the information. Finally, Matsuda Sensei speaks again.

“I also noticed a classroom across the hall from here, and there’s various office supplies in here, so I think it’s a good idea to start having class just like if we were back at the academy. Of course I can’t make you come, and I understand if any of you don’t want to, but I think it would help us to have something normal like that. So every morning, for anyone who wants to join, we will have breakfast at 7 then go to class at 8.” I glance at Takara, curious if she’s going to go, and she smiles at me and gives a small nod. I think I’ll go too then.

Suddenly a quiet but malicious laugh draws everyone’s attention to its source: Hideaki. He still has the same wide smile and upright posture as before, but the fun energy he was radiating now feels darkened.

“Do you all truly believe that we can pretend things are normal? That there’s not going to be a killing game? Why? Because your teacher said so? He’s in the same position as everyone else here. And you think Monokuma will let us just play school and get along?” He laughs again and my heart sinks. He’s right, isn’t he? Didn’t every class before us think that they wouldn’t start killing? Everyone else seems to be thinking the same thing.

“I disagree.” I look up, and see Matsuda Sensei looking serious again. “The previous times, the world was unprepared. But now, the world has done nothing but prepare for something like this. All of us…we need to hold onto hope. I have hope that we’ll get out of here, and that the killing game won’t ever start. I believe in my students. Hope is what got Makoto Naegi and his friends through the first killing game, and the ex-ultimate despairs through theirs. We can’t give in to despair so easily!” He slams his hand down on the table. “And if it’s too hard to have hope, then let me be your hope. Let me protect you all.” Hideaki laughs again and kicks his feet up onto the table, but he seems to be done talking for now.

I feel eyes on me and I turn, jumping a bit as I notice Renjiro, the ultimate painter, staring at me with his blank stare. I immediately look away but I can feel him continuing to look for a few more seconds before he finally moves on to staring at someone else. I try to return my focus to Matsuda Sensei and take a deep breath. He’s right; this is different from the other killing games. It has to be.

“I hope I can see some of you in class tomorrow morning. For today, I encourage you all to keep interacting with your classmates. Make friends, and get to know one another. If anyone wants to talk to me, I will stay in here until night time. Even at night, you’re welcome to knock on my door at any time.” Once again, Haruto is the first to leave. This time, he doesn’t say a word, but gives Matsuda Sensei a scornful look as he leaves the classroom. I sigh and glance nervously at Hideaki. If the killing game isn’t going to start, then I suppose this is just a waiting game. I wonder when people will come to rescue us… I suppose in the meantime I have a good bit of free time.


End file.
